Thanks a Lot NCAA! No, Really..

Last Tuesday, the NCAA announced, one year after the initial news of the “scandal” at Ohio State broke, its punishment for the football team. Most of the punishment was expected, probation, loss of scholarships, relinquishing the 2010 wins, but the one year – 2013 – bowl ban caught Buckeye Nation completely off guard. And they (Buckeye fans) made sure they voiced their disgust with the decision any way they could.

As a Buckeye fan, at first I was a little shocked, there was really no precedent that stated a bowl ban was the necessary punishment for the crime. Then I was mad, thinking we could have imposed a bowl ban for this year on ourselves and that might have been sufficient enough in the eyes of the NCAA. And then, after all of that, I sat down and realized that in reality, this might be a blessing in disguise…

Sure, it will be weird after beating Michigan in The Shoe on November 24th, to not have any bowl game to look forward to. It will be odd not pulling the old scarlet jersey out of the closet sometime around New Years 2013. And it is disappointing that Urban Meyer’s first year in Columbus he will not be allowed to possibly turn the ship around and get back to a big time bowl game. But like I said early, when I sat down and looked at things I realized that it was not necessarily all that bad.

Realistically speaking, in Myer’s inaugural season manning the ship, the Buckeyes have a lot of question marks. Most notably is the fact that sophomore quarterback Braxton Miller will be learning a new offensive system, and despite Meyer’s proven record of developing dominant dual-threat quarterbacks, it will take some time. Then there is the fact that none of our wide receivers will be older than juniors, and have a lot to prove after an awful 2011 campaign as a unit. The defense will more than likely remain just as solid as it usually is. Young linebackers who are playmakers will be asked to step up and contribute. The defensive line will be a strength, and a lot of youngsters are returning in our secondary.

When I sat down and looked at the 2012 schedule I cringed a little. It is not the most favorable schedule in the Big Ten. Sure there are the usual non-conference cupcakes that we will cut large checks to in return for an easy win. But there is also a Pac12 Cal Bears team coming to visit, regardless of whether they are a second tier Pac12 team they are still not in the MAC or some other mid-major conference. Then the Big Ten schedule is grueling; Michigan State, Nebraska, Penn State, Wisconsin and as usual Michigan. However, the MSU, PSU, and Wisconsin games are all on the road, and those are all tough places to play. Now, couple that with the paragraph preceding this one and it makes for a very tough road to hoe.

The “blessing” that I mentioned earlier comes in the form of the 2013 football schedule. Remember, 2012 will not see us in either the Big Ten Championship game, or a bowl game. But 2013 has no limitations, and our schedule certainly makes the sky that limit. An early season road trip to Berkeley to play Cal will be a nice early test. And the Buckeyes open the Big Ten with Wisconsin at home in week five. But the Big Ten scheduling rotation has us missing Michigan State, and Nebraska, and playing the likes of Northwester, Iowa, Penn State (at home), Illinois and Indiana before making the much anticipated trek up to the Big House.

Only adding to my excitement about 2013 is the fact that Braxton Miller will then be a junior. Urban Meyer will have two recruiting classes in Columbus (and this year’s already is chalked full of defensive talent). And it will be the second year of the offense running his system. Add that to the scheduling bit, and 2013 looks like the year Buckeye Nation should be salivating over.

For storied program like Ohio State being banned from a bowl game seems like one of the worst punishments it could receive. But, it takes pressure off of a new coach who came in with enormous pressure already. There is no pressure for the Buckeyes next year, but they do have time on their side. Time to develop an offense, time to develop young and talented players, and time to gain experience without having to worry about a loss here or a loss there. Meyer will obviously have to keep his group very focused, many youngsters who do not see the prize at the end of the tunnel might lose interest, but his reputation speaks for itself in that area. And it all shapes up for a BCS run in year two of Urban Meyer’s tenure.

And I am sure Buckeye Nation remembers how well year two of the last regime went…

What Really Matters

This post will be a little bit different than any of the past posts, but its more than worthy of being posted and its necessary for all to know…


This post is about a close friend to me, my best friend in fact. The one person, who keeps me sane, keeps me young, and most of all keeps me happy. She has meant more to me than any coach, any game. She stands by me, right or wrong. She can make me laugh on my worst days, and keeps me grounded on my best. She makes me better, and her smile cures all. I feel her love all around me, no matter if I am near or far. She’s truly one of a kind, and her love is no different.

People express it in different ways, and many like to shout it from a mountaintop to let the whole world know. Well, this is my proverbial mountaintop:

MJ Lawson…you are amazing, you are my everything, and you are that exciting influence and that calm soothing touch. You are the coke to my Makers, salsa to my LP spesh, the potato pancakes to my Noshville breakfast! But more than any of that, you are my best friend, and the truest love I have ever known. I love you with every ounce of love I have to give, and always will.

Weekend Rants

Brown and Out…

Another weekend, and yes, another Browns rant coming at you…
It is absolutely astonishing to me that our coaching staff cannot seem to find any continuity in our offense. You do not have to be an NFL expert to realize the Browns lack “playmaking” talent on offense, nor do you have to be an NFL expert to realize that Josh Cribbs is easily the best playmaker on our team. Which, makes it befuddling when you look back and realize he only touched the ball on Sunday during kick or punt returns. Mindboggling.

At this rate, the Brownies are headed towards another top ten draft pick, and unless their offense miraculously wakes up, more likely a top 5 draft pick (here’s hoping Atlanta continues to lose so we end up with two first round draft picks in the top 15-20)…Here is what the Browns should do with both of those picks; draft the best player available. I am not bemoaning the front office, yet, I understand they have only had two drafts, and both classes have produced very solid results. However, they cannot continue to trade down, stockpile draft picks, and take offensive lineman. Nor, should they package those two first round picks we do have, for the number one overall pick to take Andrew Luck. It is so clearly obvious that it would not matter if the Browns had Aaron Rogers at quarterback; we lack playmakers at skill positions which are what teams like Green Bay, and New England, and Pittsburgh have.

With that said, here is my Browns 2013 draft wish-list: 1) Justin Blackmon – he won the Belitnikoff as a sophomore, and has been nothing short of a beast for the #3 Oklahoma State team that should be playing for the national championship (more on that to come). 2) Trent Richardson – look I know we have Hillis, and Hardesty, but Richardson is one of those freak, once in a lifetime, Adrian Peterson type running backs that do not come along every year. 3) Morris Claiborne – LSU has a tremendously deep talent pool at defensive back, and Claiborne is only a junior, but he is a ball hawk, and putting him next to Joe Haden would be a lethal tandem for a long time. 4) Dont’a Hightower – it is grossly obvious that we lack linebackers that can make plays (proven by our awful rush defense) and Hightower can play any of the linebacker spots with his athleticism. 5) BJ Cunningham – here is a guy who probably will not go in the first round, but the WR from Michigan State proved all year why he will make his living on Sunday afternoons. Buckeye fans probably remember the torching he put on us: 9 catches for 154 yards and the Spartans only touchdown.

Chop It Up…

It is clear that we have a flawed system. We know this, and have for years, but this year might be one of the worst whack jobs the BCS has laid on us ever. We can start in the BCS National Championship game; clearly LSU deserved to be there, but how a team that finished second in its own division, and did not even play for its conference championship, and lost to LSU at home, makes it into the game is tough to explain. In my mind, if Alabama does win this game, there should be a split national champion because LSU proved through its body of work that it was the best team in college football. Oh by the way, Alabama did not beat a top ten team this year, while LSU beat three top five teams.

But wait, there is more! The biggest snub has to be Boise State. The #7 team got hosed so bad they are playing in the MAACO Las Vegas Bowl. Maybe MAACO can paint over the car wreck that is the BCS. Even worse, two teams ranked lower than Boise State, and outside of the top ten (Va Tech #11, and Michigan #13) will face off in the BCS Sugar Bowl yet Boise State, South Carolina, Kansas State, and Arkansas who are all ranked higher than Virginia Tech and Michigan failed to receive a BCS bowl invite. And two teams ranked outside of the top 14 will play in the Orange Bowl thanks to the automatic tie ins, which means we get to see #15 Clemson, losers of 2 of their final 3 games, play #23 West Virginia who won the highly touted Big East. Hope you sense the sarcasm.

The reason for these choices and snubs is simple. To the BCS it is all about selling tickets, hotel rooms, merchandise, and plane tickets rather than putting the teams that deserve it in these games. Did Michigan and Virginia Tech have good years? Yes. Will they have large fan bases that travel well? Sure. But that should not be the reason the #7 team in the nation has to go play a pre-Christmas bowl game.

Let us hope that this will be the year that brings the BCS to its knees. I would not even care if players from Boise State, Arkansas, South Carolina, or Kansas State sold all of their stuff and pocketed some extra money. It would just be the money their schools are being swindled out of by the BCS’s gluttonous system.

Urban Era

It seems like it happened eight years ago. I know that it only happened a week ago, but the events of
this last week have all but put it out of sight in the rear view mirror. I used to get utterly mad when the men of scarlet and gray lost to that team up north. Believe me; the times have been good in the past decade, not a whole lot to be upset about. But the decade before that, the years of my youth, prime years to be molded, were trying ones.

The two most polarizing images of my early pre-teen years are ones that I want to, but never will forget. Both of them resulted in Buckeye losses, both at the Big House, and both times the Buckeyes were done in by the eventual Heisman Trophy winner. The first image is of the punt return, and that idiot doing the Heisman pose in the end zone. The second, the fighting nuts were done in by a defensive back, an Ohio kid, another punt return, and an interception and just that picture of Charles Woodson with the rose in his mouth is enough to make me want to gouge my eyes out. (I still take joy in the fact that on Sunday Night Football he states his school as Freemont Ross HS, as if it is some plea to OSU fans he was sorry, but I digress)

Then came the golden years, the ten years where “the Vest” absolutely owned that state up north.
His record speaks for itself, 9-1* (technically we vacated the last win, but we all know who won
the game, that won’t change.) Tressel just got it, he understood what it was about, he understood
what “the game” meant, and he didn’t hide it, which is why his players flourished in it. He (Tressel)
also understood what it mean to the fans, to the students, to the alumni before he had even coached a
game, while being introduced as the new coach at halftime of a home basketball game he knew exactly what to say to inject energy and life into a fan base that was desperate for something, anything when it came to the game.

Last Saturday’s version of the game was one I had never witnessed before. I didn’t know how to
approach it. My disgust for that school remained at the levels it had always been at, but my attitude
towards what this game meant was distorted. The 2011 version of the Ohio State Buckeyes was
probably the worst in my lifetime; torn apart by controversy, an interim head coach, no senior
leadership, terrible tackling, and offensive offense, but that didn’t stop me from donning my scarlet
jersey every Saturday, or watching every game up until the last ticks came off the clock, but for the first time in a decade I was actually nervous about the game.

And, exactly what I thought would happen in the game, happened. Our team tackling was just a notch
above non-existent all year, and their scrambling quarterback gave us fits, just like I figured he would.
But, for a flittering moment after they scored what looked like the clinching touchdown I regained hope. Two flags on the same play, negating the touchdown, resulting in a field goal and a six point lead had me hoping that maybe their run of misery had one more chapter to be added. After being dominated most of the game, we had the ball with a chance to score a touchdown and win the game. It didn’t pan out the way I had wanted it to, but the game finally had that feel to it that it had lacked for the last ten years. It had that knock-down, drag out, brawl feeling that was a staple of this rivalry for over a century.

This year has been dubbed “the most trying year” of football at Ohio State. And with everything (off the field, and on) it probably was. A ceremonial bowl game with very little meaning is not something that Buckeye fans of my generation are used to, but it is the reality. But, there is new hope on the horizon. We got our new coach, and we have a quarterback, which is the one thing our new coach thrives at producing.

The loss in the 2011 edition of the game stung, no doubt, but it has been less than a week and it is
practically forgotten. Just days after “the most trying season” we are already headed towards “the
longest off season” in the history of Buckeye football, mostly because we can’t wait to see what’s in
store. In 274 days the next act in the long and storied history of Ohio State Football opens and it is
entangled with optimism, freshness, and renewal…Urban renewal.

No Need For Luck

Sunday’s win for the Browns, over the Jacksonville Jaguars, was the first step Colt McCoy took in telling the front office “I can do this.” Sure it was an “ugly” win, and yes he did have the interception in the red zone, which is an absolute no-no, especially when you are a team that already struggles to score period. But, McCoy rallied, himself and the troops, and brought the team back and threw what would eventually be the game winning TD to Josh Cribbs.

I have said all along that it is difficult to judge or compare McCoy to a west coast offense quarterback because the Browns simply do not have the weapons for him to throw to, and at times this year they have not had the offensive line either. McCoy currently ranks 20th in the NFL in passing yards, and of the 19 quarterbacks ahead of him, only 3 have fewer interceptions throw on the season. And, four, have doubled the amount of interceptions he has thrown. He (McCoy) takes care of the football; his red zone interception against the Jags was his first red zone INT of the season.

With all of that being said, he made up my mind on Sunday. It may have been ugly, or a struggle, or not flashy, but he proved that, if we get him some weapons on the outside, he can be a viable quarterback, and he can win you games. It has been a struggle, but McCoy has slowly gotten his completion percentage up to 60% on the season. Clearly, that pales in comparison to the staggering 72% clip that Aaron Rogers is completing, but, has him completing the second highest percentage in the division and only 3 percentage points behind Ben Roethlisberger.

There are a few signs of hope, mainly Greg Little, and Josh Cribbs, but it is clear that the Browns lack speed, size, and reliability on the outsides. Greg Little is showing that he has 1st round talent, but still shows inconsistency (see the deep ball down the right side in the 1st half that Little should have caught) and that is exactly NOT what the Browns need. Cribbs, on the other hand, has impressed me with is improvement as a receiver. We know he is electric on special teams, but the knock has always been he is unpolished as a receiver. This year he looks like a legitimate wide receiver, and he proves ever week that the more you get the ball in his hands the better the results on the field.

The Browns have two first round draft picks in the next draft, and there is some serious talent coming to the NFL, especially at the wide out position. The Browns would be best suited to use those picks on talent that can come in and help this team right away, as opposed to packaging them both for the first overall pick and taking Andrew Luck. It would not matter if we had Andrew Luck or Aaron Rogers right now, they would not have the necessary weapons to stand out in this offense. The improvements are there, but the Browns need talent at skill positions, and they have two chances to improve those positions in the first round.

Just Another Day in the Life of a Browns Fan..

I am sick of hearing it. I refuse to listen to it. If one more person tries to tell me about their cities “bad luck” or “agony” when it comes to sports, I will lose it. I spent Sunday at a bar (the only place I can go to watch my Browns play) with friends from around the country who, because their teams were not playing at the time, sat and watched the Browns unimaginable loss to the 1-7 Rams with me. So, before I get to the game, these were our conversations:

Friend from San Diego: San Diego has the worst sports luck, but nobody cares because we have the best weather. Response I wanted to reply with: Oh really? I am sorry you have teams that make it to the AFC Championship games multiple years, and I am really, really sorry that you have the best weather. Please save it!

Friend from Minnesota: Minnesota has had some pretty bad luck, I mean, look at the Twins, Vikings, and Timberwolves. Response I wanted to reply with: Please! You were a play away from going to the Super Bowl two years ago; the Twins won a world series in the 1990s, and let us not forget the Minnesota Lynx won the WNBA Championship this year! (Ok, ok, I know, yes I did reference a WNBA team, but seriously they won a championship, that is more than anything a Cleveland team has won in six decades!)

As the game unfolded, I proceeded to tell my friends about all things that have gone wrong in Cleveland sports, and to save myself, and Cleveland friends from an intense spike in blood pressure, I will not go into any details (if you want to know more, Google it or something). Here we go, for the Browns you have the Drive, the Fumble, Red Right 88, and that meltdown against the Steelers the only time we have made the playoffs since we returned. The Indians, probably had one of the best teams in baseball history in the mid 1990s, managed to blow a 2 out lead in the last inning of the 1997 world series, and lost in Game 7 in extra innings, and managed to blow a 3-1 lead in the 2007 ALCS to the Red Sox, who then went on to sweep the Rockies in the World Series. The Cavs have the “shot” by MJ to sink the higher seeded Cavs in the first round of 1989 playoffs, and I need not go any further into the recent memory of Cavs fans.

With all of that said, I sat and watched the Browns play, maybe, one of their most complete games of the season, and yet, they still managed to not find the end zone. The coaches pulled out the trick plays, wide receivers made plays, Colt McCoy was accurate, and still the Browns could not score a touch-down. Thankfully, Phil Dawson, the team MVP (yes I know, he is our kicker), was spot on from four different points kicking field goals in a windy Cleveland Browns Stadium from 44,32,29, and 43 yards, respectively.
And then, when it looked like the Browns had positioned themselves perfectly to have Dawson kick his fifth field goal of the day, and take the lead late in the fourth quarter, it happened. I have said it before, and I am sure I will say it again; it was one of those “only in Cleveland moments.”

It would have been Dawson’s shortest field goal of the day, two yards longer than an extra point attempt. A chip shot, as they like to call it. I sat there at the bar, with my temporary Browns fans friends, about to watch the Browns get a nice win, and all I could do was watch in disbelief, as the snap rolled and bounced to the holder, who somehow managed to control it and hold it, and then as Dawson managed to get the kick off, only for it to be deflected wide left with two minutes to go in the game.
Now, it is not entirely absurd that a snap is bad, it could happen to any team in the NFL. But then you realize that the Browns long snapper is a Pro-Bowler, one of the best in the NFL, and you watch the slow motion replay you see that somehow, some way, the Browns left guard, who should probably try out for Dancing With The Stars because he has to have the quickest feet in America, managed to deflect the snap with his leg, you realize how absurd this actually was. Bad snaps are one thing, but I have never seen a lineman deflect a snap with his leg on a field goal attempt.

I could not even be mad. I mean, sure, I was mad, but then I remember, “It’s the Browns, and I’m a Cleveland fan.” I have become so engrained with stuff like this, that I almost expect it to happen. The Cleveland Browns are clearly the poster child for Murphy’s Law.

So I do not want to hear it anymore, from anyone other than Cleveland fans. Please spare me from your, “it has been a couple of years since we won a championship” talk, or, “man my teams have really bad luck.” I do not, no, I cannot take it anymore, and if you don’t believe me, come join me this Sunday at the bar, and watch a Browns game with me (yes, I will be there, just like all the other weeks, in my jersey rooting on my team). I guarantee you will leave saying, “Man my team ain’t so bad after all.”

Happy Valley and the Shadow of Shame

He was the last “living dinosaur.” A Legend. His legacy was golden, and could not be touched. Or, so we thought. Joe Paterno stood for everything that was great about collegiate athletics: loyalty, he’s been coaching there for over four decades; passion, players go to Penn State to play for Coach Paterno because of his passion; integrity, when Paterno says something, you listen, he is the John Wooden of college football.

But, not long after winning his record setting 408th game on Saturday, all of that was about to come crashing down. The recent charges that his former assistant faces are brutal, disgusting, and could quite possibly tarnish everything that Paterno has done for Penn State, and college football. To the NCAA, this has probably been one of the longest years it can remember. Scandal after scandal, violation after violation kept coming across the desks of those in charge in Indianapolis. This, however, might be the straw that breaks the camels’ back.

This is not a scandal at Penn State it is a full fledged mess that came barreling over the top of the dam on Sunday. And, what this shows is just how flawed the NCAA and college athletics have been, for a very long time. What makes this even more disturbing, grotesque, unbelievable, insert your own adjective here, is that these acts were done by a person, by people, who were supposed to be the model, who were supposed to be leading our young individuals.

It is one thing when student-athletes make mistakes. And sure, trading your stuff for tattoos, or smoking dope, or taking money from someone associated with the school might seem stupid, silly, and ignorant. But when it’s the coaches, and administrators that are taking part in something that is profusely, and morbidly wrong, what does that say about the student-athletes. How can we degrade a student-athlete for being young and immature when the people leading and developing him or her are acting irresponsible, and decidedly more immature?

I do not want to get into the disgusting, and embarrassing details of what the former Penn State coach, Jerry Sandusky, did or took part in. If you want to read more about that you can find it on your own time. What is bothersome to me, and should be to everyone, is that the graduate assistant coach who saw it, the head coach who is in charge, and the administrators who found out about it, never, not even once, contacted authorities to let them know that this was going on.

We are talking about children, many of whom were not even teenagers (not that it would make it OK if they were), who were victims of a sick, repulsive person. And the University just swept it underneath the rug and tried to pretend nothing happened. All they did was tell Sandusky he could no longer bring youth down on the field for football games. In fact, Sandusky was at Beaver Stadium on Saturday to see Paterno get his landmark victory.

I am not even sure how the NCAA will handle this mess. The comparisons of how they handled the scandal at Ohio State and LSU are not even in the same atmosphere of severity. To sit back and think about the media outrage, and societal outcry over what five student-athletes did at Ohio State by trading and selling their game jerseys and trophies for tattoos; I cannot even fathom how that would even come close to being comparable to what happened at Penn State. To think that Jim Tressel lost his job because he did not go directly to the AD when learning about the allegations when he first found out is a more punishable offense than Joe Paterno who simply told his AD what his graduate assistant had seen take place in the showers at the football facility is senseless. How could you believe that simply telling the AD about sexual abuse of a child was doing your duties? Not once thinking, “This is wrong. I should call the police.”

Paterno is not a viewed as a suspect in the investigation, but his statement ought to make him one. “If true…While I did what I was supposed to do with the one charge brought to my attention…I cannot help but be deeply saddened these matters are alleged to have occurred.” Where to begin with this statement? Well, how about the beginning, if true? Clearly we have an eyewitness account of sexual abuse of a child, rape of a child, if true Joe? How about the “While I did what I was supposed to do...”? Really? You have a witness saying he saw a child under the age of 10 being sexually abused by an adult in the shower of the football facilities and all you are supposed to do is tell your AD? Last time I checked reporting child abuse or sexual abuse is the law. Just because you told your AD, and covered your tracks, does not get you off the hook for what you did not do.

Nor does it make what the graduate assistant who witnessed this act right either. The fact that the person who witnessed it and Paterno never followed up with this, nor ever contacted the police about what they saw is a matter of ethics, and moral judgment. And if the people in charge cannot make the right moral and ethical decision, how can we expect the student-athletes they are leading to do so?

Dumb and Dumber..

As we get ready to sit down this weekend and watch a game that has been proclaimed "the game of all games" for two weeks now, I can help but think of how seriously flawed the NCAA is.

Sure, I will watch when #1 LSU invades Bryant Denny Stadium to take on #2 Alabama. But all I will be able to think about is 8 different players. Three who play for LSU and five who play or used to play for Ohio State.

I know, we've all been beaten to death with the scandal that "rocked" Ohio State, especially us Buckeye fans. We know Terelle Pryor is gone, and so is Jim Tressel, and that Boom Herron and Devier Posey, two cogs in our offense, we're suspended for 5 games, all over about $2,500 worth of tattoos. (ironically a couple of days go NCAA prez Mark Emmert made it ok for schools to add $2,000 to each student-athlete's scholarship to cover "incidental costs")

But the real reason I will be watching the three LSU players (Tyrann Mathieu, Spencer Ware, and Tharold Simon) is because it is their first game back. They are returning to the field after being suspended for 1 game after testing positive for synthetic marijuana and violation the teams drug policy.

Where is the NCAA on this one????

Apparently trading your own stuff for tattoos is good for at least a 5 game suspension (even though former Georgia wide out A.J. Green was only suspended 4 for selling his jersey to an AGENT in 2010!) yet doing drugs during the season doesn't even warrant NCAA interest? The one game suspension was team imposed by coach Les Miles.

Now I'm sure everyone will think I'm just coming off as a homer, but, hello? Those three guys broke a law by taking illegal drugs (I'm not arguing for or against legalization here, simply stating as it stands today smoking pot is against the law), and the NCAA doesn't seem to care. But as soon as players start taking their own personal stuff, given to them by their institution or even the NCAA, and trading or selling it, they have a problem. Not to mention that for at least one of the players at LSU it was their "second offense" with the LSU substance abuse policy.

Now, I am not saying what the Ohio State players did was right, it is clearly a moral choice they were ok living with. And I'm not saying the way Jim Tressel handled it was the proper way to go about things. But, if the NCAA is going to continue to preside over college athletics, and continue to run these lengthy, costly investigations into players selling their jerseys, or receiving improper benefits then they need to be prepared to step in on instances like these, where players disregard the laws.

Ohio State had its season hijacked by the NCAA because 5 kids made a stupid decision, even though the stuff they traded was their own. LSU barely missed a beat when their three players were suspended for ONE measly game even though those kids made probably an even dumber decision.

The NCAA is balancing on a thin high wire, and if they are going to be the authority they want to be, then they need to handle everything that falls under their umbrella. Otherwise, their high wire act will come crashing down and bring a new era in college athletics. Who knows, maybe even a cleaner one.

Show Them the Money

Today, NCAA President, Mark Emmert, came out and said he will be asking the NCAA Division I Board of Directors to okay a $2,000 hike for NCAA Division I student-athletes. Well, hmmmm, I wonder why the NCAA Prez has all of a sudden come to this conclusion. Stating that student-athletes do not have the opportunities to work outside of the classroom and playing field, he believes this will help "to more closely approach" the cost of attending college. This is just more proof that the NCAA really has no idea what is going on here.

The arguments for (and against) paying college athletes really has little to do with "more closely approaching the cost of college." It has a lot to do with the fact that universities are banking mega-millions on the athletes that bear their colors. Everyone buys their favorite players number, without the name on the back, and that is just one way schools are banking on a players' likeness. CNBC Sports Business guru Darren Rovell @darrenrovell has come up with an interesting proposition that seems to make sense to me:
On Sunday, Rovell tweeted: "On my NCAA jersey proposal player would get 4% of gross = $1.20/jersey. Gross price is what retailer pays, not what you pay." Therefore, with that proposal and his estimation of the number of Tim Tebow jerseys sold during his career at the University of Florida, Tebow would have made roughly $40,000 dollars. But remember, that is only 4% of what the school is actually making.

But, let's be honest, the schools are not really making the big bucks on jersey and merchandise sales, the real money is in the TV deals. And, there is no better example of this than the 2011 Sugar Bowl between Ohio State and Arkansas. Everyone knows, Ohio State is currently waiting to hear from the NCAA Infractions Committee about what punishment it will receive for the "tattoo" scandal. And, most know that Ohio State, as a school, has already given up its wins from that entire season. However, I would argue that Ohio State should have given up all of the wins, EXCEPT, the Sugar Bowl win. Before the teams played in that game, the NCAA ruled all of the players listed in the scandal ELIGIBLE to play. Regardless of what the NCAA did, and did not know at that time, they said those players could play, and the main reason why they decided that was TV.

Nobody outside of the respective schools fans was going to tune in to watch the Sugar Bowl if three of Ohio State's top players, and most marketable ones at that, were not going to be on the field. It was a BCS game ($$$), between two top-ten ranked teams ($$$), on prime time TV ($$$), and the NCAA was not going to cost FOX any ratings.

The BCS distributed $174 million to conferences last bowl season. The Big10 and SEC made $27.2 million each for sending multiple teams to BCS Bowls. And, for some unknown reason, Notre Dame received $1.7 million from the BCS?!? Notre Dame hasn't been to a BCS bowl game since 2006, why they are receiving money each year from the BCS despite not making it to a BCS bowl game seems deficient. But, you have to realize, its all about the TV deals, and yet, nobody seems to realize that without the players, nobody would watch the games. Without the players, FOX, ESPN, and CBS wouldn't pay huge sums of money to broadcast the games, because nobody would watch.

I understand that scholarships that these athletes get pay their tuition to a higher education institution. But the price of the scholarship compared to the amount of money that schools make on the athletes (especially football and basketball players) doesn't add up. I am just not sure if 2,000 extra dollars is going to make up the difference either.

Washington's Orders

You could feel the intensity in Busch Stadium. For five innings it mounted, and mounted until it reached the lights of the stadium. Up until the 6th inning there had been no runs and only 4 hits combined between the two teams. Momentum for the series hung in the balance, and the Rangers desperately needed a split on the road.

The Fall Classic is all about limiting mistakes, timely hitting, and solid pitching. And it's the managers job to make the best decisions for his team. In game one, the Cardinals' Tony LaRussa made all the right moves: pinch hitting for his ace after only 6 innings which resulted in the game winning RBI single, in game two he rode the hot hand and pinch hit the same guy in the same exact situation and it worked again!

On the other hand, the Rangers' Ron Washington made a few questionable calls during both games, and it is surprising to me that the Rangers aren't in a 0-2 hole. In game one with the tying and go-ahead runs on base, Washington pinch hit a guy who had not played in the final 20+ games of the season. Needless to say he struck out, stranding the runners on base, and the Rangers lost game one 3-2.

However, the most questionable call, to me, that Washington made was to pull Colby Lewis, in the bottom of the 6th inning of game two, in favor of Alexi Ogando. Ogando, the same pitcher that gave up the base hit in game one that cost the Rangers the game, had a chance at redemption against Allen Craig, and gave up another go ahead single to the Cardinals pinch hit specialist. At the time the Cardinals took a 1-0 lead and that looked to be insurmountable.

Here is the problem I have with Washington's decision: to that point in the game, Lewis had thrown less than 100 pitches, had given up no runs, and only allowed 4 hits! If I'm the manager, it's Lewis' game to lose, if he would have been losing 2-0 or 1-0 then, yes, make the switch and let your bull pen keep you in the game. But in a scoreless game I'm living with my starter who has thrown a gem. Not to mention the fact that Washington compounded the poor decision by bringing in the same reliever to face the same hitter who won the game the night before.

Colby Lewis was throwing masterpiece and the only reason more people weren't talking about him was because Jaime Garcia was matching him pitch for pitch. But to take a pitcher out of a game in which he is throwing a shutout is an extremely questionable call to me. And the fact that the pitcher was not even to the 100 pitch mark made it even more questionable.

Luckily for the Rangers, the Cardinals bull pen had its first lapse of the post season and allowed the Rangers offense to come back and win the game. The win was big for the Rangers who were able to earn a split on the road, but maybe even more demoralizing for the Cardinals whom showed its first chink in its armor, and the bull pen is the last place you want to have a chink.

Bye Week Blues..

So the Browns have a bye this week, which means I'll have absolutely nothing to do on Sunday, except of course, listen to CBS analysts drool over the Patriots vs. Jets game. But I digress, since the season is a quarter of the way through, I decided to look at where the Browns are and make my assessment.

2-2 is nothing to scream about, and honestly it would look a lot better if the week two win had come against a Peyton Manning led Colts, but a win is a win and you take them however you can get them.

Through four games it look like Heck&Holms hit a home run in last years daft, and pair it with their first draft it looks like not just a solo homer either. In 2010 they took Haden, Ward, Hardesty, and McCoy, all of whom started week 4 for the Browns. This year they weren't flashy but solid in adding Taylor, Sheard, Little, Marecic, Pinkston, and Skrine. Right there is 10 players who we have all seen on the field this year.

As I just stated, the 2011 draft wasn't flashy, we didn't get that big, shiny name everyone thought we would with the 5th overall pick, but we may have made the best trade in Browns history. The trade the brass pulled off with the Atlanta Falcons was what might make the Browns a great football team. Instead of taking Julio Jones we added 4 draft picks, including another 1st round pick in 2012. That should have Browns fans really excited! (I'll get back to this later)

Looking at stats, here's something I found really interesting...
Here's the stat lines for two AFC North quarterbacks:
1) 49%, 973 yards, 7 TD, 3 INT
2) 58%, 984 yards, 6 TD, 3 INT
Quarterback #2 is the starting quarterback for your Cleveland Browns and quarterback #1 is Joe Flacco. Everyone wants to judge McCoy and wonder if he is the franchise quarterback, but it's clear to me, given those stats that he can be. Flacco has many more weapons at his disposal on the outside than McCoy does.

Those stats bring me back to the two first round draft picks point I had earlier. It's easy to see the browns need a wide receiver who can make catches in traffic, win jump balls, and stretch a defense. And it is hard not to like Justin Blackmon out of Oklahoma State University. He is 6'1", 215 pounds and has the best hand in college football. Don't believe me? He won't the Belitnikoff award last year, as a sophomore! I know the front office has said they like the wide outs we currently have, but it would be hard not to like Blackmon lining up with Little on the outsides.

And since I'm on next years draft, and we have two first rounders, if you haven't seen LSU's defense play yet, you need to! I would love to see cornerback #17, Morris Claiborne, lining up opposite Joe Haden for years to come!

Ok, back to this years team..

Browns fans have been all in a tizzy with this Peyton Hillis situation, and the fact that he hasn't been rushing for large amounts of yards. The fact is, and all of us Browns fans will have to get used to this, that the days of grinding out yards for four quarters are gone! Holmgren is a west coast guy, Shurmur is a west coast guy, they throw, a lot! Those short, quick passes are like glorified hand offs.

It is nice to have a guy like Hillis who can drain clock when you have a lead, but those methodical, boring drives we've come to know and love are over! It's almost like we were brainwashed watching the old regimes, and that's what we've come to know. But that is not what Shurmur does, he throws, and throws some more. Luckily for us, Peyton Hillis has better hands than most of our receivers so we can continue to find ways to get him the ball!

With all that said, this team would probably look a lot more fluid offensively had the lockout not hijacked the new coaching staffs training camp work. We are getting to the point now where the coaches would have been by preseason had they been able to work with the players on the playbook over the summer. I feel like coming out of the bye week, the offense, should look much better from here on out. Which is good, because starting week 12 we have to run the gauntlet. We'll find a lot more out about this team in the final 6 game of the season.

A MOST Valuable Player

The weeks have flown past and the NFL season is already a quarter of the way over! Hard to believe sometimes. What is also hard to believe, is the Indianapolis Colts are the worst team in the AFC! (I know that the Dolphins are also 0-4, however the Colts have a worse point differential so I am giving them the nod).

I am, believe it or not, ready to anoint a MVP for the 2011 season. I know it's only been four games, but this player is clearly, without a doubt the most valuable player to his team. My MVP of the NFL for 2011 is Peyton Manning. Yes, the same Peyton Manning that has not taken a snap this season, the same Manning who might not play at all this year, the same Manning who, whenever the Colts play, gets more airtime in the coaches box than the QB that is actually out on the field (for those of you who don't know it is Curtis Painter).

How can I make such a crazy claim, you ask? The Colts are currently 26th in the league in passing, and averaging a little over 15 points a game. That's just two scores a game! Unheard of in the previous eight seasons with Peyton at the helm.

To me, the most valuable player, is that player that means the most to their team. The player that, if you were to remove him from his team they would be the team that is affected the most negatively. Clearly the Colts are that team. Three out of the last six years the Colts started the season 9-0! This year, they are well on their way to 0-9, maybe even 0-for-the-year? (the schedule gets no easier including trips to New Orleans, New England, and Baltimore)

Clearly, Manning's value is not overshadowed. But, while I see him as the MVP, I also have another award to give out, and this award also goes to the Indianapolis Colts, it is the Least Valuable GM award.

In a state of the NFL that we are in, how could the Colts front office fail to do a simple task, get a viable back up? In a game where each and every snap puts you one snap closer to your final snap the brass in the Colts office failed the team, and the fans miserably.

I'm sure they didn't think Manning would get hurt, he had started 227 straight games. And yet a non-football injury might derail his 2011 season. However, it is the front office's job to stop that injury from derailing the team's season. And they did a terrible job at doing that (yes, I am saying that signing Kerry Collins two weeks before the season does not suffice).

Through four games the Colts have started two different quarterbacks, Kerry Collins, and Curtis Painter. Collins had completes 48% of his 98 pass attempts before giving way to painter who, in two games has completed 44% of his pass attempts. Peyton probably cringes when he looks at the stat sheets. But shame on the Colts for not having a long term plan, and looking for a young QB to be groomed by Manning.

This is nothing other teams forget to do. The ten years ago the Patriots had Drew Bledsoe go down only to watch a guy named Brady (who will probably end up winning the MVP this year) take over and well the rest is pretty much history. Three super bowls later Patriot fans are saying Drew who?

All I am saying that Peyton Manning is THE most valuable player to his team. And the Colts front office was too naive to think nothing could happen to him.

The Trop is Half Full..

I have always said that I will argue with anyone willing listen that Cleveland has the best fans in the world. I will also argue that Atlanta could, quite possibly, have the worst. But, after last night, Tampa is giving Atlanta a serious run for their money.

Heading into September the AL East was a two horse race for the crown, and the runner up was easily going to take the wild card spot heading into October. However, after last night's Tampa Bay Rays win coupled with the Boston Red Sox loss, there is a tie for the wild card spot with only two games remaining in the season!

The Rays have had a roller coaster season to say the least, and it started in the off season with what seemed like almost complete overhaul of it's roster. Gone was outfielder Carl Crawford, the all time stolen base king in Rays history. Gone was first baseman Carlos Pena who provided power in the middle of the lineup. Their set up man, and closer from a year ago? Gone. The only two guys you probably could have named on opening day were Evan Longoria and David Price.

Heck, at the beginning of September you probably could have only named those two. 21 games ago they were 8 games out of the wild card and toiling towards the end of the season. Thanks to a nearly monumental collapse by the Beantown Sox the Rays now control their own destiny. And the sad part is, nobody in Tampa seems to care.

Monday night, starting the biggest series of the year, against the division rival, and champion Yankees, Tropicana Field held 18,772 people, or roughly 52% of what it can hold at capacity! (according to the espn box score).

Being transplanted down to Central Florida, and only an hour from Tampa, I have gotten to see many Ray game on local tv and it's almost comical, yet sad at the same time to see the stadium empty. Funny because you can see more blue seats than butts sitting in them, and I swear you can hear the echoes of the beer guy yelling "beer here" bouncing off the empty seats. But it is ultimately sad beyond belief that this team, which has battled it's way out of an almost impossible hole, has to go out and compete for a chance at the playoffs with nobody there to cheer. The fans of the Rays should be embarrassed! That is almost as bad as not selling out playoff games (cough, cough, Atlanta).

This is something the people of Cleveland would kill for. We got all jacked up because the Indians were "in the hunt" at the All-Star break! We got geeked when we brought back Jim Thome to bring back memories of the glory days of the mid-90's! The Rays are about to take down the mighty Red Sox, and their $160 million dollar payroll (to put it in perspective, the Rays 2011 payroll on opening day was $42 million)!

Maybe the worst part is that the Rays, should they make it into the playoffs, might have the best starting pitching out of any of the playoff teams! And as we saw last year with the San Francisco Giants, great pitching, and timely hitting can carry you to a championship...regardless if anyone is there to see it.

Just Win Baby

It was one of those games that you should win. At home, against a team that hadn't won a game yet, and traveling into a raucous environment. But for 55 minutes it looked like, well, something you would typically see out of a Cleveland football team.

It was one of those frustrating ones to watch. And it looked like opportunity slipping away from us. The defense had done it's part, playing twice as long as the oppositions defense, and giving the team a chance to win. But the offense, that's what was so frustrating, and it took a huge blow before the game even started. Peyton Hillis was sent home with strep throat a couple hours before the game started, and you could just hear the whispers swirling around this on, "it's the Madden curse." On top of that, the wide receivers were non existent for the first three quarters and Colt McCoy was struggling to get the offense going.

Down 16-10 late in the 4th quarter I felt myself getting that mad feeling knowing what could have been if the Browns would have played to their potential. Then even more angry realizing we were about to lose to a team that was 0-for-the-year, on our home turf. Embarrassing, no excuse, unacceptable, just some of the thoughts running through my mind. Then I took a deep breath, realized I am a Browns fan, and began to accept it.

When we got the ball back on our own 20-yard line with less than 3 minutes to go needing a touchdown to win, there was no reason to believe we could gain 80 yards in that amount of time with the way our offense had been playing.

But as I watched with those thoughts spiraling in my head, my speculation about Colt McCoy began to come to fruition. I liked the Browns decision to draft McCoy, despite the fact he was "undersized" an lacked the "prototypical" arm strength coming out of college, I liked him because he won. He left the University of Texas as the all time winningest quarterback in NCAA history.

Sunday, he proved that. He struggled, the receivers struggled, the whole offense struggled throughout the day. But, when it mattered most, when his team needed it the most, he rose up to the challenge, he took the pressure, and his team, and put it on his shoulders. His numbers at the end of the day weren't flattering: 19/39, 210 yards, 2 td, 1 int, 71.5 passer rating. But the one thing that trumps all of those statistics is Ws.

And rookie wide out Greg Little put it best after the game, "I think the greatest statistics in the league are wins and losses. I don't think Colt cares about his completion percentage. You win the game, so that's all our team cares about anyway. He just stayed composed and made a lot of good plays. He was just very vibrant and upbeat and you could see that pouring out of him in his eyes. He made it happen for us."

That look in his eyes? That is the look of a winner. Someone not afraid to be "the guy" with the ball in his hands with the game on the line. And for the first time in as long as I can remember, the Browns seem to have found that guy.

Just Sayin!

After a very solid start to the NFL week, we return to take on the second week of the NFL season.
Stephen and I eeked out a close one on our lock of the week with the Cardinals holding on in a red
zone stand to end the game. Both of our upset picks came in. Stephen was all over the Bills and they
dismantled the Chiefs. And even though I didn’t think Detroit deserved to be an underdog they still
handled the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road.

Here’s the picks for week 2 in the NFL

“Master” Lock of the Week:

BC: Pittsburg Steelers -15 vs. Seattle Seahawks – This has all the makings of being a nightmare for the Seahawks. Pittsburgh’s home opener, and they were just completely embarrassed by division rival
Baltimore in week one. I expect the Steelers to come out and dominate this game in every phase.
Warren Sapp chimed in and said the Steelers are washed up, here’s their chance to show the NFL that
last week was just a fluke and not how their season will go.

SB: Detroit -7.5 vs. Kansas City – Detroit=up and comers. Chiefs = down and outers. That Chiefs
meltdown was a little expected and I don’t see it turning around on the road in Detroit. Plus, Eric Berry being hurt means Calvin Johnson will get a few more looks down the field against SS Jon McGraw who has only 7 INT’s in 10 years. I know 7.5 is tough to swallow at first glance but I can see Detroit doing this one by 10+ easy.

Upset Special:

BC: Chicago +7 @ New Orleans – I think that quietly the Bears are one of the best teams in the NFC.
They just happen to play in the same division as the defending Super Bowl Champs. This game will be emotional. With the passing of Brian Urlacher’s mother earlier this week, and his emotional return to the team to play this Sunday, I could see this being one of those games where the Bears pull together with the emotional lift of their mourning leader and pull the upset.

SB: San Diego +6.5 @ New England – yes, yes, yes I too watched Dr. Brady perform surgery on the
Dolphins on Monday night. Top to bottom everything was clicking. If there is one team in the AFC that should be able to keep pace, however, I think it’s the Chargers. They did finish #1 in offense and defense last season, remember? And with no major adjustments in their roster or staff, it’s not difficult to think they will be able to regain that form and compete with the elite.

JUST SAYIN Game of the Week:

BC: Houston -3 @ Miami – Both teams’ offenses were scorching in week 1. The problem is, Miami’s
defense looked like a submarine with screen doors, allowing Tom Brady to throw for over 500 yards on them. In comes probably the next most explosive offense. Week 1 saw the Texans put up 34 points in their sleep against a “Peytonless” Colts team. This is Houston’s big chance. Every year they have fallen just short of the Colts, and this year they have already beat them, and have a chance to move to 2-0 on the year and assert themselves on top of the AFC South Division….Just sayin!

SB: Washington -3 vs. Arizona – Redskins giving 3 is looking pretty sexy. If a rookie quarterback (Cam Newton) can throw for over 400 yards in his first career start, Rex Grossman should do ok right? Just sayin…

That's Life....as a Browns Fan

Every season on Cleveland’s gridiron usually starts in the dumps. Whether it be lousy front office, or player injuries in preseason camps, and not to mention the fact we have to look up at the Steelers and Ravens all year. Ugh...

But this season seemed to have a little bit of momentum behind it. For one, we were all football starved for the length of the summer, so there was just general excitement to get the players back out on the field. Add in the fact that the Browns, until the last 5 games of the season, have a considerably light schedule, and a new coach who scores points is now manning the sidelines. The 2011 season seemed like a chance for the Brownies to make some noise from day 1.

We got to open up at home against a Cincinnati team starting a rookie QB and a rookie WR, and then catch an Indianapolis team that will bewithout the best quarterback in the NFL in week 2. I was getting giddy at the thought of my Brownies being 2-0 to start the team. For the first time in a long time the Browns were favored in their week 1 matchup, and not just favored because they were the home team, they were 7 point favorites over the Bengals.

I was brimming with excitement at my opportunity to see the Browns start the year off with a win for just the second time in thirteen years. And as the game continued on and the Browns clung to a 3 point lead, the defense had been making plays, Joe Haden looked every bit the part of a first round draft pick out there swatting balls, and our two rookie defensive lineman were holding their own. And then, in the fourth quarter, it happened…

Nothing new in the life of a Browns fan. Just another one of those, “that can only happen in Cleveland” type plays that you rarely see in football. The Bengals had broken the huddle early and rushed up to the line of scrimmage and somehow manage to snap the ball before the Browns could even get out of their defensive huddle. It resulted in the Bengals rookie wide receiver walking untouched into the end zone for the go ahead score. And just like that the game had slipped away. Bye- bye lead, good bye optimism, hello same old song and dance.

I still watch every game and root for the team to win, that will never change. The sad part is this team is actually a decent group, and they have a chance to win games this year. But Sunday the entire team, coaches, and players, were not prepared. You cannot win games committing 11 penalties, and you certainly cannot win games when your players are confused about the play call. The Bengals may have been sneaky about it, but you get a week to prepare for different personnel looks.

Oh well, there’s always next year, right?

Just Sayin! NFL Week 1

After a so-so start to ‘Just Sayin’ where my esteemed sidekick Stephen Brook, or @StevietyBebop as
some of you know him, was only able to get me one of his picks in time, he now joins us for a full week of his picks. So without further adieu, let’s get to it.

We will make picks for week 2 of the NCAA games, and week 1 of the NFL.

NCAA:

Our “Master” (they aren't really have a sponsor but it would be cool if they were) Lock of the week:

BC: Stanford -21.5 @ Duke – Sticking firm with my lock of the week from last week. Stanford is a team that has the Heisman Trophy favorite, just put up 50+ in week one, and goes to the football powerhouse of Duke in week 2? Chalk up 50 more points, unless they get confused and think they are playing basketball.

SB: Agree with above. Stanford is giving three touchdowns to a team that just lost a close one in a
heated battle with the, wait for it, RICHMOND SPIDERS…..

UPSET Alert:

BC: ND -3.5 @ Michigan – Ok, yes, I hate Michigan. But I am still not sure how they are three and half point dogs, at home, to a team coming off a bad loss at home to a CUSA team. Notre Lame is switching quarterbacks, switching jerseys, but it seems like they need to flip a switch and come out of the dark ages, they look two steps slower than every team they play. Oh, and Denard Robinson has the ability to score, anywhere on the field, and its UM’s first night game in 85+ years. No way are they losing at home.

SB: Did not pick...

"JUST SAYIN" game of the week:

BC: TCU -2 @ Air Force: TCU was all the rage last year, especially after beating Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. After getting spanked through the air against Baylor they have to go face the ground cavalry this week against the Air Force (I know, I know ground attack by the Air Force?). This seems like TCU should be able to handle the Falcons, but their last two trips to Air Force? 2009 – Three point win 2007-overtime loss. Could TCU start the year 0-2? Just Sayin…

SB: Alabama -9.5 @ Penn State: All this talk about the new quarterbacks for the Tide, but they are still the #2 team in the Nation! And that defense! Just don’t see this one going well for the Lions offense (Sorry Zack).

NFL:

Lock of the week:

BC: Carolina +7 @ Arizona – it was hard to find a lock of the week in week 1. But I will go with the
Cardinals at home. Yes they have a new quarterback, but they still have Larry Fitzgerald. Oh yea, and
Carolina is starting a rookie quarterback.

SB: Carolina +7 @ Arizona – Arizona is going to blow out Carolina, especially since Newton can’t
complete a pass to a wide receiver with no one in his face. The Cardinals are going to blitz Newton all day long. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, Larry Fitzgerald will be effortlessly embarrassing DB’s with his one-handed-eyes-closed-behind-the-back-barrel-roll catches in traffic.

Upset Special:

BC: Detroit +1 @ Tampa Bay – Did any team impress more than the Lions based on their draft and the preseason? I say no. Matthew Stafford appears to have “figured it out,” now all he has to do is stay healthy. And I said last season that Detroit’s D Line was legit, and then they go out and add Nick Fairly to go with Suh and Vanden Bosch. Once Fairly gets healthy enough to play that is a stout interior line. Tampa Bay overachieved last year, and it can be difficult for a team that has a “better than expected season” to come back and duplicate it. Detroit is a road dog, but I like them in this one.

SB: Buffalo +6 @ Kansas City – Why not? I think not only will they cover; they might actually pull
this thing out. The Bills have some weapons, and I really like C.J. Spiller this year, and KC is very very overrated, with the exception of the LSU players on its roster of course…

JUST SAYIN game of the week:

BC: Philadelphia -5.5 @ St. Louis – I’ve heard all the talk about the ‘Dream Team’ and the group of “All-Stars” that the Eagles have together. Prove it. I don’t think this team will click right off the bat. And their offense line is one of the worst in the NFL, the only reason statistically it doesn’t show is because Mike Vick bails them out more often than he get’s sacked. No one has talked about a Rams team that almost made the playoffs last year. And they just might catch the Eagles at the right time. I’ll take the Rams, at home, just sayin…

SB: Tennessee +3 @ Jacksonville – I think this is actually a game the Titans can win. Low scoring, figure to favor the Titans with lead foot Bironas kicking field goals from 50+ yards out. Oh, and the Jaguars just cut their starting QB 5 days before the opener! McCown was behind Blaine Gabbert two weeks ago, and now he’s the starter, just sayin….

There you have it...NCAA week 2/NFL week 1 picks are in the books...Like something else? Let us know who you like and why! We may just use you for our next piece! Good Luck!

Just Sayin!

Now that football is back, this "Just Sayin" segment will be a weekly recurrence. I will preface this post with how "Just Sayin" came about. While working in the restaurant industry my friend Stevie Beebop and I would analyze college and pro football lines, and come up with our picks for the weekend. We always wanted to have a youtube show called "Just Sayin" where we ran through our weekly picks. So, this is as close as we have gotten.

Week one of the college football game usually pits powerhouse against cupcake. However, this year there are a few intriguing match-ups.

Here are my picks for this weekend:

Friday:
TCU -4 @ Baylor: The #14 ranked Horned Frogs lost a lot from a talent laden group that won last year's Rose Bowl, and Baylor boasts one of the best UNknown quarterbacks in the nation in Robert Griffin III. Baylor hangs tough, but falls to a young and improving TCU.

Saturday:
Akron +32 @ Ohio State: Obviously you know who I am going to pick to win. But the Bucks won't cover this spread. A new quarterback (or two) could play for the Buckeyes, who will rely heavily on their running game. And a green and young D will show their youth. Ohio State wins new head coach Luke Fickell's debut, but I will take Akron to cover the spread.

UPSET SPECIAL:
UCLA +3 @ Houston: I normally never like to go for a team that is coming from the west coast. However, UCLA isn't making the trek all the way to the east coast, just to the central time zone. This is a big year for coach Rick Neuheisel, and he has his Bruins ready for the opener on the road.

LOCK of the WEEK:
San Jose State +29 @ Stanford: San Jose State would probably be happy if the NCAA called them and said we are just going to mark you down for a loss by 40. Andrew Luck the pre-season Heisman trophy favorite might throw for 500 yards. Stanford wins this easily, probably by 50.

JUST SAYIN':
Boise State -3 vs Georgia: All this talk about Boise State being a National Championship contender might not get past week one if the Blue Broncos think they are walking into the Georgia Dome with an easy contest. It's not "between the hedges" but this game is practically a home game for the Dawgs. However, UGA is starting a true freshman running back with little depth behind him. Boise State has to watch out, but they should get this victory. Boise State's QB, Kellen Moore? Oh yea, he had a 182.6 passer rating last year, just sayin!

Stevie Bebop: Although he is a homer to LSU decides to take Oregon in the featured match-up of the weekend. #3 Oregon and #5 LSU battle in Dallas to open the season. Oregon returns a ton of talent on offense from a team that nearly won the National Championship last year. Unless this game turns into one of those knock down, drag outside, bar fight, he's going with Oregon, just sayin! (What, too soon?)

Noodle Arms

At the end of every summer America’s attention turns to a small central Pennsylvania town. Williamsport goes from being blue collar working man’s town, to a sea of youth. The Little League World Series has exploded since ESPN started to put the tournament games on national TV. And the kids (12 and 13 year olds) get to soak up life as a rock star for a few weeks before they head back to school. Everyone seems to love the Little League World series, everybody, it seems, except me.

There are number of minor reasons, and one major reason why I cannot stand the LLWS. Some minor issues I have:1) the fences are like 215 feet the whole way around the outfield, and with some 13 year olds today approaching six feet in height, pop outs turn into home runs. 2) The replays. I have always been, and always will be vigorously against replay in baseball. At the LLWS coaches get 2 replays per game! Obviously I want the umpire, at any level, to get the call right, but the best part about baseball is that no umpire is the same. 3) ESPN. I remember when you used to get the US Final and then the World Series Championship game. Now we get regional games before these teams even make it to Williamsport. It’s getting watered down. It’s fun to see maybe one or two little league games on TV. It’s boring to watch 35 of them.

My number one gripe about the LLWS isn’t necessarily something the LLWS does wrong. Nor is it anything ESPN does wrong. The onus of my major gripe lies strictly with the parents and coaches, and sometimes parents who are coaches. And, the problem is that these coaches, and parents, really have no clue what they are doing to their kids. And it is all because they want to be on TV wining the LLWS.

Recent studies have shown that youth injuries related to pitching have been on a steady incline, and as Dr. David Geier indicates, there are number of factors.  The notion of specializing in one sport at a young age may seem logical to some parents, but the fact is that the youth body is developing up usually until the child reaches the age of 18, and just learning to do one thing means that a kids’ body is missing out on developing in other areas. Also, specializing in only one area means added stress to the same part of the body. Take pitching for instance. The kid who plays summer baseball and pitches, and then plays fall football, and basketball in the winter, then baseball again is stressing a multitude of different parts of his body over the course of the year. The other example is the kid that plays baseball in spring and summer, and takes pitching lessons in the fall and winter. Now this kid may be getting a lot better than everyone else at pitching, but he’s also stressing his arm for the whole year.

Maybe the most disgusting part of the LLWS, to me, is the fact that these kids (and let’s be honest they are still kids) are throwing curveballs! Throwing a curveball should be the last pitch a kid ever learns, and it shouldn’t happen until the kids is at least 16, probably later. Yet, I sit and watch these 13 year olds throw curveball after curveball after curveball trying to get hitters out. And the sad part is, the coach is calling for it from the dugout. A 13 year-olds arm is far from developed, and the tendons in his/her elbow are still very fragile. So it boggles my mind that parents would let their kids go out and snap off breaking balls and jeopardize their long-term career for a shot at a 12/13 year-old championship!

Even more appalling are then numbers Dr. Geier provides about the misconceptions of Tommy John Surgery amongst players, coaches, andparents. Only 31% of coaches, 28% of players, and 25% of parents believe that pitch type plays a factor in the increase in chance of torn ligaments in the elbow. Today there is a growing notion amid parents and players that if they get hurt they can have surgery and come back better than before, not realizing the severity of this type of injury. The recovery period for a Tommy John injury is 12-18 months. While nearly a third of parents, coaches, and players felt like 9 months was enough time to come back from a Tommy John surgery. Big deal, coach, you won the Little League World Series, too bad your players wont be able to throw by the time they get to high school. Looking at the list of names, there have only been about 40 LLWS players that went on to actually make it into the big leagues, and majority of those that did, were position players.

The LLWS does have pitch count limits, and rules enforcing days off for pitchers, but if it really wanted to look out for our future players it would have rules outlawing curveballs.

Say Hey

I had heard stories about him growing up playing summer ball. They were horror stories. Running his players until they all puked, screaming and yelling all the time, running his practices like military exercises, etc...So you can imagine my hesitation to play for this guys’ team when they called and wanted me to play with them the summer after my junior year of high school.

I met Coach Ike for the first time in person at our first practice after the high school season ended in the summer of 2003. I introduced myself and shook his hand, and he looked at me and said, “Is that how you shake somebody’s hand? You better do it again and make sure it is firm this time.” Oh boy, here we go, I thought, and it is only day 1! This is going to be a long summer…

I decided to switch this post up a little bit and talk about something a little different, after getting a tweet from my sister about wanting to read something about motivating players as a coach. So Kel, here you go!

From an outsider Coach Ike probably seemed like a nut, crazy, maybe even an asshole. At least, those were most of the stories I heard before I had ever met the guy. Turns out, he was the best coach I’ve ever had, and I was never a better ball player than when I played for him; I would have never gotten a scholarship to a Division 1 school to play, and I probably would not be the man I am had I decided not to play for him. Truth is, I’ve never had more fun playing baseball than the two summers I played for Coach Ike.

His practices were intense, insane, (insert adjective for crazy here). They would teeter on the edge of 6 hours sometimes. You had to thank him for water breaks. If you didn’t thank him you owed him 25 pushups. Most of those hours upon hours we spent at practice we didn’t even have gloves on our hands. We were mostly just talking the game. (True story: he split us into four groups and put us at each base, no gloves, and we had to throw the ball around the diamond 100 consecutive times without dropping it, with no gloves, and we did it). The most fun I ever had, however, was the practice that it rained. Diving practice was something I looked forward to each year, no matter what you had to dive, and if you didn’t lay out you ran a lap around the warning track.

Games were even more intense. It was the 1^st inning of the first game I ever played for him. The third batter for the opposing team hit a line drive scorcher through the hole between short and third (I was playing shortstop). Coach Ike came out of the dugout and screamed, “Bobby, did you lay out for that ball?” I shook my head, I mean hello, it was obvious I didn’t, it was a sure base hit. He took me out of the game right there in the middle of the inning, ugh, and this was only game one, what a long summer this will be. When I got to the dugout he called me over, and I thought here it comes, better get the ear plugs ready. But he calmly looked at me and said, “Dude, you can’t make that play if you don’t try. It’s all about making plays.” From that day on I laid out for balls no matter what.

He was unorthodox, not every player could play for a coach like him, and maybe he was a little nuts. But he knew baseball, and he loved to teach it. When asked why he was so great, I often say he could motivate a camel to find water in the middle of the Sahara Desert. He got the absolute, 100%, very best out of each of his players, and he did because his players understood he wouldn’t accept anything less. His mantra was “Confidence is everything.” At the first practice he asked who here thinks they can hit? And the stupid 17 and 18 year olds that we were, we all raised our hands, and he said we were all liars. “If you can stand on one leg, pee down the other, smoke a cigarette, and still hit a curveball, then you can hit.” He broke the swing down in a way I had never learned before; he had pictures upon pictures upon pictures of major league swings, and how they all had the same basic fundamentals. After our first hitting practice I got home and my toe was bleeding, and we didn’t even hit live pitching!

But maybe my ultimate favorite thing he did was how he gauged how focused we were as a team. He had a rule, whenever he said “Say Hey,” we, as a team, had to respond with “Say Hey.” Didn’t matter if we were at practice, in the middle of a game, talking after a game you had to do it, and if you didn’t it was a quick 25 push-ups. His reasoning for doing it was he could tell how focused we were by how close to unison we sounded. The first couple weeks we probably sounded like an echo, but when we got the hang of it, there was nothing more intimidating that hearing the entire team respond as one.

He was a military man, and his rules were militaryesque! All our bat bags had to be in numerical order. He hated the word “yea” it was only “yes” around him, and if he was ticked off it was “yes sir.” After every game you shook the coach’s hands, and thanked them. He demanded respect, and gave it to those who showed it.

His number one rule, however, was the Larry Bird rule. Coach Ike’s basement is a library. He’s probably got a thousand books, and he’s probably read them all twice! The Larry Bird rule was something he read in Bird’s book, it was the law of 80%, and Coach Ike preached it on the field. The law of 80% was simple; you do things on the field at 80% effort to gain 100% accuracy. A throw coming from the outfield trying to get a runner advancing has to be placed perfect to gain the best chance of getting the out. Coach Ike said the outfielders need to throw the ball at 80% effort so that the ball is in the right spot for the fielder making the tag. 100% effort meant a decrease in accuracy, and in a game of inches, 100% accuracy is key. But the law of 80% applied to everyone on the field, and it taught me to keep myself calm in key situations in the game.

He coached baseball the way it was supposed to be played. He’d yell at you if you were trotting too slowly after a home run, and rarely ever gave signs. We just went out and played, but if the pitcher caught a pop up on the infield, oh boy. True story, we had a pitcher who made a catch on a pop up that was right next to the mound, and Coach Ike took the pitcher, and entire infield out of the game and played others at those positions. The pitcher should never catch a pop up!

It was truly his way or the highway. And not every player could play for Coach Ike. But 5 years down the road you come to realize that as much as we thought it was about baseball then, he was really teaching us about life. He was teaching us to be men. Accountability, responsibility, and honesty were keys that he preached. I never had more fun that the summer after graduating high school and coming together with that team to win 26 consecutive games, four tournaments in four different states, but that’s also the summer I grew up. I won’t ever forget my teammates from that summer, or the fact that winning 26 straight games actually had Coach Ike speechless at our post game talks. And even though we didn’t hear it that often that summer I’ll never forget Coach Ike’s wisest words, “If you can take a loss, and turn it into a lesson, we all walk away winners.”

How to Send a Message

 

Over the last week in baseball there have been some pretty angry pitchers. Two pitchers, and a manager received game suspensions and/or fines, and it seems after Tuesday night that there are possibly two more pitchers and maybe another manager who might be taking a few days off work and opening up their wallets as well. And it’s all because of a little chin music.

Back in the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s when baseball was real chin music was a part of the game. It was a way for a pitcher, a team, to send a message to the opposing team. There was no harm intended, just buzzing a 90+ mph fastball around eye-level so the hitter didn’t feel quite as comfortable in the box. The message could signal a number of different quandaries that a team had with a different situation in the game. “Hey, that slide into second with spikes up was bush league.” Or, it could be to retaliate after one their own players was hit at the plate earlier.

The difference between today and back then is that back then the players knew it was coming. They played the game the right way to avoid situations. Today, players take offense to getting hit (no matter where they get hit). Back then, getting hit was a free base; a way to get on and start a rally for your team. Back then, players walked around with bumps and bruises after taking pitches to get on base. Today, all that is walking around with bumps and bruises are players’ egos.

I am going to highlight three situations that recently happened and detail why I agree with what the pitcher did or disagree.

Jared Weaver (Angels) vs. Detroit Tigers – July 31

Weaver is the ace of the Angels staff, and leads the league in ERA. It was a great game which also featured Justin Verlander flirting with a no-hitter (again) into the eighth inning. But that was overshadowed by Weaver.

There had been jawing between the two sides all game, and in the bottom of the 7^th Carlos Guillen hit a “no-doubter” homerun. But what piqued Weaver in the wrong way was Guillen standing and admiring his home run, then looking at Weaver and appeared to blow him a kiss. The home plate umpire immediately warned each bench as he’d felt things had gotten to the boiling point. Surely the on deck batter Alex Avila had to know what was coming. And surely Weaver had to know what would happen if he threw at him. Weaver sailed a fastball past Avila’s head, and was immediately tossed from the game. And for a good five minutes there was some good banter between both dugouts.

Weaver was suspended six games and the Angels Manager was suspended one. Seems like there still might be bad blood between these two teams, could be intriguing if they meet up in the playoffs.

Carlos Carrasco (Indians) vs. Kansas City Royals – July 29

Carrasco is a young kid, with a great arm. But he seems to lose focus to easily which leads to giving up big innings. In the fourth inning of the game on Friday between the Indians and Royals, Carrasco gave up a grand slam that made the game 12-0 and immediately fired a fastball up near Billy Butler’s head. Carrasco was taken out of the game and the Indians lost 12-0 to the Royals that night. Soon thereafter Carrasco was fined and suspended six games for his actions.

The fact that this happened after giving up 12 runs shows how easily this kid loses his cool.

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Milwaukee Brewers – August 2

In the midst of a tight playoff race, when pressure mounts, it is expected that emotions will flare and tempers will reach their pinnacle. What happened in the seventh inning of this game was how all of these “messages” should be sent. After Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols had been hit in the hand, the Cardinals retaliated by throwing once in tight on the Brewers’ Ryan Braun, and then plunking him in the back on the second pitch.

The Cardinals defended their superstar by hitting one of the Brewers’ stars, and they retaliated by hitting him square in the back. Loud enough to send a message, but not too loud to injure anyone severely.

There is a difference between being stupid and sending a message. Stupid is trying to bean somebody in the dome. Sending a message is hitting them right between the shoulder blades. And if you don’t believe me consider this fact: The “message” Weaver and Carrasco were trying to send, never made it to its target, but the message the Cardinals sent to the Brewers hit Braun square in the back. If you want to send chin music there is nothing wrong with getting high and tight up around the shoulders, but if you want to make sure you message is heard loud and clear there is no better place than the center of the back.

The Umpire is Always Right..

My college coach had two rules when we were playing games; rule number 1: the umpire is always right, and rule number 2: when in doubt, revert back to rule number 1.

Tuesday night the Braves and Pirates got tangled up in, quite possibly, the best game of the year so far, in the major leagues. Each team put up three runs by the end of the third inning, and then the stalemate began. By the end of the second game, yes second game, they played 19 innings, there was still a 3-3 tie.  Finally, in the bottom of the 19^th inning the Braves put together a scoring threat after almost seven hours of play.

This is where it get’s juicy. The Braves had Julio Lugo on third with less than two outs and Lugo tried to score on a ground ball to third. The throw came home, the catcher got the ball three steps before Lugo made it home, clearly he was going to be out, and this game was going to continue on into the morning. But, no. Umpire Jerry Meals didn’t see it that way. Michael McKenry swiped the tag across Lugo and was stunned when Meals waved his arms saying safe.

The Braves were joyous for pulling out the marathon win, and the Pirates were distraught, bewildered, befuddled. This picture clearly shows the tag was made on Lugo’s shin. But watching the replay in real time there is enough doubt that could have overcame Meals to make the safe call, albeit diminutive. Of course the internet world blew up, this was just another example of why baseball needs replay, Meals should be fired, blah, blah, blah.

Bloggers went goo-goo over this blown call. ESPN blogger DavidSchoenfield  said it was the saddest call he’s everseen. Darren Rovell, sports business guru, tweeted that baseball needs bases that light up green for safe and red for out. Cries for replay littered the Twitter feeds.

I, in no way, shape, or form, will ever argue for having instant replay in baseball. The umpires are HUMAN! And to Meals’ credit he cameout after the game and said, “"I saw the tag, but he looked like he oléd him and I called him safe for that," Meals said. "I looked at the replays and it appeared he might have got him on the shin area. I'm guessing he might have got him, but when I was out there when it happened I didn't see a tag.” Admitting that the replay showed a tag, but it was what he said after this that is striking to me, “"I just saw the glove sweep up. I didn't see the glove hit his leg."

You can blame Meals all you want for having to make a bang-bang call on the fly. It is easy to watch a slow motion replay and say that was easy. But the problem I have with all of this is that the Pirates catcher, Michael McKenry, was out of position and didn’t even use proper technique! Look at the picture! Why is McKenry 3 feet in front of home plate and making a sweep tag? All he has to do is catch the ball and sit on the plate and Lugo is out. The throw was a good throw, and using a sweep tag created enough doubt in the umpire’s mind to think the runner wasn’t tagged. The runner has to touch home plate, why the catcher strayed so far away from there is what I do not understand.  

Another disclaimer: I am not putting all of the blame on the catcher, being a former baseball player I know how it gets when you’re in a pressure situation where the game is on the line. I am just simply playing devil’s advocate with those out there who think that the umpire cost the Pirates the game. Sure this play happened to end the game, but the game was decided long before this play. No mention of the fact that the Pirates left 16 runners stranded on base, or left a runner on third with one out in the tenth. And those are just a few examples. After six hours and thirty-nine minutes of baseball it’s no wonder the umpire made a lapse in judgment, it was past his bedtime!

Lost in all of this is the amazing performance that the bullpens made. Both bullpens combined for 26 scoreless innings. The Braves tied the game in the bottom of the 3^rd inning and that was the last either team scored until the 19^th! This is the reason I love baseball, there is no time limit, mistakes are magnified in close games, and all umpires are different. The beauty of baseball is that no umpire has the same strike zone; the beauty is in the unwritten rules: tie goes to the runner, if he throws it on 2-2 he’ll throw it on 3-2, never make the 1^st or 3^rd outs at third base. The intricacies of the game are what makes it great. Taking away the human element of the umpires would degrade the game to the point where it would feel like you were watching a video game.

The funny part about the replay discussion in baseball is that it only rears its ugly head about two or three times a year. Meaning, 97% of the time the umpires are pretty darn good! And players understand, more so than the fans, that for every one call that gets missed there are 100 calls they get right. The reason players learn to deal with bad calls and move on is because of the golden rule of baseball, something you learn, or should learn at least, at a very young age. The umpire is always right!